For the first time in nearly two decades, the Washington Commanders have won a playoff game. In a sentence that seemed completely impossible just 12 months ago, the franchise is moving on to the second round of the postseason, after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers via a last-second field goal, 23-20.
Tampa Bay blitzed quarterback Jayden Daniels early and often during the Heisman Trophy winner’s debut. As a result, Washington’s offense struggled to find any sort of rhythm in their season opener. But here’s the thing about Daniels — he rarely plays like a rookie.
Case in point: Washington went 1-3 against Tampa, Philadelphia, Dallas and the New York Giants the first time they faced them. But in the rematch, the Commanders went 4-0. Daniels, with the help of Washington’s stellar coaching staff, learns and adapts to what defenses throw at him.
On a day when Commanders running backs were a non-factor and the defense struggled to create impact plays, the fate of the franchise rested on the shoulders of a 24-year-old quarterback making his first postseason appearance. As odd as it might sound, Washington’s best defense was keeping the defense off the field. To win, Daniels and the offense needed to consistently stay on the field for lengthy, time-consuming drives.
Terry McLaurin’s magical season continued, who secured his first career postseason touchdown came on the same play the Commanders ran in the final seconds against Philadelphia, when Jamison Crowder caught the game-winning touchdown. Same play, different target. And now McLaurin has 11 red zone touchdowns this season, which matches his production during his first five years in the league.
Against Tampa, Daniels accounted for a ridiculous 87 percent of Washington’s total offense. Just as impressively, the 24-year-old has now led the team to five game-winning drives this season. And for the third time this season, Washington didn’t punt or turn the ball over in a game, a feat which no other rookie quarterback has ever accomplished.
During the deciding drive, Daniels once again rose to the occasion — making defensive tackle Calijah Kancey miss on third-and-2 from Tampa’s 19-yard line with less than a minute remaining. When the play ended, Kancey was left standing there, holding Daniels’ towel, wondering how the elusive rookie had evaded him on what looked like a certain tackle for a loss in the backfield.
With three seconds remaining, kicker Zane Gonzalez converted a 37-yard field goal to secure Washington its first playoff victory in 6,945 days. That 17-10 win over the Buccaneers seems like a lifetime ago, especially consider Daniels was only 6 when Sean Taylor, Lavar Arrington and friends stole the win in Tampa back in January of 2006.
Since 1991, 35 different quarterbacks started a game for the franchise. After completing arguably the best season ever by a rookie quarterback, it’s safe to say Washington has finally found the answer at the game’s most vital position.
